I have seen this statement a few times and I find it confusing.
A phone with a GPS chip should be receiving its position information from the GPS satellites. Phone coverage should be a don't care assuming the cache data is saved for offline usage. That has been my experience with the iPad and iPhone - you can turn the data plan off and the GPS has the same accuracy (8ft).

I do have an iPad that doesn't have a GPS chip - that has to be connected to have any idea where it is but its accuracy is not good (200ft+)

I have yet to see a phone that is true GPS. They all use the cell towers to triangulate your location. Prove it to your self, go into a building with a GPS. You won't get a signal. Your GPS phone will and it won't put you in the correct place. Go out side to a cell phone dead zone, your GPS phone won't work period but your GPS unit will. I have an android and it will place me 300 feet off. Unless there are lots of towers near.

Most modern smartphones do contain a true (albeit poor-performing) GPS.

Your GPS phone place will use towers to estimate your position in the absence of a GPS fix (ie. in a building), but if the GPS is enabled then it will use that fix being that it's more accurate.

If your phone's GPS doesn't work in an area that is lacking cell service then maybe it's either set up wrong or broken. I've followed my location on cached Google Maps in areas with no cell service on a couple of different phones with success._________________Hmm...

I have a Garmin phone which does have standard GPS as do most droids.
Getting the right app is a trick as some are feature filled yet have poor navigational accuracy.
I tried them all and the only ones that work for me are GeoBeagle and Cachesense.

I really like Cachesense as the compass is spot on. None of the apps really require tower coverage as one can load the caches via usb or file manager from email.

Android is the standard for phones and I believe Google (android/linux) holds 80% of the entire cell phone market so support and freedom of brand choice is good. Samsung is probably the leader in quality and sales right now and the new G4 is even water proof which is a real plus for us clumsily geoclods.

Again most phones are linux - android is a version of linux modified by google.

to be accurate 84% of phones are linux or linux/goodle droid.

And in general all smart phones are gps enabled and do not use phone towers for directional location.

It is important to understand however that gps does not measure distance it measures time so if the clock (not time clock cpu clock) is off or slow locations will drift.
For this reason phones are not good at marking locations however can do well finding locations.

iphones use their own OS and in general suffer the same issues as droids - only at three times the cost

84% is the number as stated above although industry levels are higher.
No they don't use cell towers for gps as the gps will work even without cell coverage.
I have several tablet PC's which also have gps enabled and do not have data capabilites - gps works flawless without that cell coverage as you stated.

Like all apple products the phones are proprietary and expensive compared to the "standard linux/android phones"
It's not that I don't like them it's just why would I when I can have 2 tablets and a phone for the same cost as one iplop.

LOL. Show me a link to a respected company that states that Android has 84% of the market share. Until then, it's your opinion with no facts to back it up.

Apparently you haven't heard of A-GPS (Assisted GPS). Modern smartphones use it to triangulate their position using cell phone towers until their GPS chip kicks in. I never said that they wouldn't work without cell coverage, did I?

Oh, and iPhones are not any more expensive than other smartphones in its class. An iPhone 5 16GB on AT&T is $199. A Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB is $199. Same price.

When under contract. But out of contract, Apple products are more expensive.. albeit, not 3x more. But having said that, the resale price on a used Apple product is MUCH higher than a used Android device. And to disclaim, I am an Android fan. I've got NO PROBLEM with those that want to own the inferior and smaller iPhone

I am considering getting a windows phone and I'm wondering if anyone has one that they use for geocaching. I assume that there is a geocaching app, but I have never used it or spoken to anyone who has so I am throwing it out there. Any thoughts on the windows phone for caching?

I await your report on whatever you get; I am due for a new phone in about 3 weeks and I am wondering some of the same things._________________"We never seek things for themselves-what we seek is the very seeking of things"-Pascal

Today I just ran into another cache placement by smartphone.
.2 miles off location, Labguy and I found it by guesstamation.
his smartphone was showing a very large area of accuracy maybe 500 feet.
But our GPS units disagreed by about 40 feet when we were at posted GZ.
Yea I see some smartphones claiming GPS but I would rather trust a true GPS over a smartphone GPS.